Toei's semi-entertaining V-Cinema cash-in on the popularity of Robocop. Here we have a lethally wounded tennis champ (who can't play tennis) turned into battle cop in a metal suit with high heels to fight an evil multinational syndicate. Enter the good old karate villain Masashi Ishibashi (in not one of his best roles) and a CIA developed evil wrestler with psychic powers. The film borrows its theme and dystopia from the Verhoeven classic; otherwise it's more in line with Japan's own tradition of tokusatsu entertainment, which no doubt inspired Robocop as well. Too bad the film tends to be a bit mediocre for the most part, and pretty lame in the violence department as well. Cool theme song (which steals half of its melody from Sukeban Deka III) combined with metal hero on a motorbike footage provides some great moments, though, and the film is amusingly nonsensical.

The DVD also contains a very silly "Lady Battle Cop Battle Manual" feature which shows how the suit works, how some of the special effects were made etc. I forgot how long exactly it was but must have been about 15 minutes. Comes with a super-over-the-top narration.

The Future

Masashi Ishibashi and the gang

And this guy...

Our heroine, who wouldn't even be able to beat a 5 year old in tennis

Somehow she got the trophy anyway

For some reason her cop boyfriend thought it would be a good idea to announce on TV how they are going to destroy the syndicate

NEW UK/US TITLE: Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Vol 1 (Arrow Video) Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD - Three thrilling genre pictures previously unreleased in the West make their debut on home video. If you like tough guys, mobsters and wanderers… the Diamond Guys deliver in spades!

Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting to their Diamond Line for a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these “Diamond Guys” with three classic films from directors Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill), Toshio Masuda (Rusty Knife) and Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril).An old hand at tough guy action roles, Hideaki Nitani (Tokyo Drifter, Massacre Gun) stars in Suzuki’s Voice Without a Shadow. Asako, a former telephone operator once heard the voice of a murder suspect which has continued to haunt her. Years later her husband invites his boss, Hamazaki, over for dinner and she realises his voice is suspiciously like that of the killer. Before she can investigate further, Hamazaki is found dead and her husband becomes the prime suspect…Next, 50s subculture icon Yujiro Ishihara (Crazed Fruit) stars in Masuda’s Red Pier as “Jiro the Lefty”, a killer with a natural talent. Shortly after arriving in Kobe, he witnesses a man die in a crane accident which turns out to be a cover-up for a murder. Jiro soon finds himself on the run, tailed by a determined cop...Finally, in Saito’s The Rambling Guitarist, mega star Akira Kobayashi (Battles Without Honour and Humanity) stars as wandering street musician Shinji, who falls in with mob boss Akitsu after saving one of his henchmen in a bar fight. Tasked by Akitsu with evicting an offshore fishery, Shinji finds himself in the middle of a very unusual domestic dispute...Presented on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the West, these thrilling genre films feature Nikkatsu’s leading talent at their best.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:• Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies)• High Definition digital transfers of all three films, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation• Original uncompressed mono audio• Newly translated English subtitles• Specially recorded video discussions with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp on Diamond Guys Hideaki Nitani and Yujiro Ishihara• Original trailers for all three films and trailer preview for Diamond Guys Vol. 2• Extensive promotional image galleries for all three films• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys• Booklet featuring new essays on all three films and director profiles by Stuart Galbraith, Tom Mes and Mark Schilling

The series offers up a depiction of the Japanese underworld that was unprecedented in its realism and its sympathetic portrayal of its protagonist as a man haunted by his past, unable to escape a life of crime. The success of the initial instalment spawned five sequels, continuing the story of the lone wolf “Slasher” Goro and his quest for redemption.

The films presented a new kind of realism and violence that would prefigure Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor and Humanity series, with their winning combination of brutal violence, gang warfare and sweeping romance, these films make for a unique and unforgettable viewing experience.

The set includes six films in the Outlaw series released for the first time in the west: Gangster VIP, Gangster VIP 2, Heartless, Goro the Assassin, Black Dagger, and Kill!

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:•Limited Edition Box Set (3000 copies) containing all six films in the Outlaw series, available with English subtitles for the first time on any home video format•High Definition digital transfers of all six films, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation•High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations•Original uncompressed mono audio•Newly translated English subtitles•Audio commentary on Outlaw: Gangster VIP by Jasper Sharp•Visual essay covering the entire series by Kevin Gilvear•Original trailers for all six films•Extensive promotional image galleries for all six films•Exclusive gatefold packaging featuring brand new artwork by Tonci Zonjic•Booklet featuring an interview with director Toshio Masuda by Mark Schilling, plus new writing by Schilling, Chris D and Kevin Gilvear

HungFist wrote:Toei is releasing a big bunch of samurai films that have been available for rental before, but not for sale. The price is very cheap, just over 2000 yen. The release date is Jan. 6, 2016.

Looks like this bunch is even bigger as the releases continue with 12 more DVDs on February 10th...

According to this article, that'd be parts 1,2 and 4 of the series. Part 6, Fukasaku's STREET MOBSTER, already came out in 2003 and got a cheaper re-release to coincide with the release of the other parts. Why does Toei insist on releasing pretty much all their film series out of order?

Marc Walcow has been conducting interviews in Japan. Sadao Nakajima was one, and is this Kazuhiko Yamaguchi? Maybe Arrow (?) are finally releasing the best ever Sonny Chiba film, Wolfguy, which I've been suggesting for them?

True Account of the Ando Gang: Yakuza and Feuds (やくざと抗争 実録安藤組) (1973)Director: Junya SatoCast: Noboru Ando, Tetsuro Tamba- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2912374- this is the 2nd part in the 3 film series. The first movie, やくざと抗争, is already available on DVD.

These are parts 1, 2 and 4 in the series. I'm not sure why Toei skipped part 3.

Guro Taku wrote:According to this article, that'd be parts 1,2 and 4 of the series. Part 6, Fukasaku's STREET MOBSTER, already came out in 2003 and got a cheaper re-release to coincide with the release of the other parts. Why does Toei insist on releasing pretty much all their film series out of order?

ok, my mistake. And Chris D's mistake. And Ratgirl's mistake. Toei skipped part 3 (新宿の与太者 / Shinjuku no yotamono) because it's not part 3. The article above, as well as Chris D's book, mistakenly consider it a part of the series when it's not. For some reason they even address it by incorrect title ("Gendai Yakuza: Shinjuku no yotamono", when there in reality it's just "Shinjuku no yotamono").

HungFist wrote:I was kinda expecting this: Toei's second catalogue hit series to make it on BD will be Truck Yaro. There will be two box sets, Vol. 1 in February and Vol. 2 April.- http://www.toei-video.co.jp/BD/truck.html

Artworks

The first box set will also feature a bonus DVD. Contents are unknown so far. Each BD is said to feature only trailer as extra. All discs will also be available separately.

Here's the thing...Toei seems to apply an idiotic pricing strategy where box sets cost more than the sum of the discs they contain. The two box sets are listed a 28,350 and 27,300 respectively, while the stand alone releases are 5,040. Unless I fucked my math, five times 5040 is less than the price of either one of these box sets! For box set 1 you can somehow justify a higher price as it comes with a bonus DVD, but why the fuck is box set 2 so expensive? There better be something we're not seeing in the product pictures, otherwise it's pure madness!

I didn't notice it before, but Battles without Honor and Humanity BD set is also more expensive than the 5 BD's it contains! It does have two bonus discs and some cards, but that doesn't make it a fair game!

Sidenote: I'm willing to bet a few hundred yen Toei's next BD release will be either the Red Peony Gambler series of Yusaku Matsuda films.

Yeah, I can confirm that none of the extra goodies are shown on those product photos above!

I bought the two Truck Guys BD box sets and I'd say they're the only two Toei box sets so far where the extra price is fully justified. The first box not only has the bonus DVD (which includes interviews with Bunta Sugawara and Kinya Aikawa as well as a 2010 TV special on pimped up trucks) but also 64 full color reproductions of all the lobby cards for all 10 films and a booklet, also in full color, that actually provides some interesting content (interviews, behind the scenes etc.) instead of just cast and crew lists like in the Abashiri and Brutal Tales of Chivalry boxes. The second Truck Guys box is also jam-packed with goodies. This time it's two complete screenplays and 6 booklets focusing on individual films as well as a heftier booklet, which seems to be a reprint of a special issue of something called the "Truckers Magazine" that was paying homage to the series.

In summary, if you're even a bit of a fan of the series, grab those box sets while they're still available. They're veritable treasure chests and worth every bit of additional cost!

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies) Brand new 2K restorations of all four films in the series presented on High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays) for all films Optional English subtitles for all films Double-sided fold out poster of two original artworks Reversible sleeves for all films featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan Booklet featuring an extract from Unchained Melody: The Films of Meiko Kaji, an upcoming book on the star by critic and author Tom Mes, an archive interview with Meiko Kaji, and a brand new interview with Toru Shinohara, creator of the original Female Prisoner Scorpion manga

I'm not a fan of that artwork (nor it saying "The Complete Collection" when it lacks the two New Female Prisoner Scorpion movies from 1976 & 1977), but yeah, I guess I'll need to pick this up. Great film, with Jailhouse 41 being one of the best exploitation movies ever made.

HungFist wrote:I'm not a fan of that artwork (nor it saying "The Complete Collection" when it lacks the two New Female Prisoner Scorpion movies from 1976 & 1977), but yeah, I guess I'll need to pick this up.

The films are based on a manga series so I guess the manga-style box artwork makes a bit of sense. I'm not a fan either though and the omission of the New Female Prisoner Scorpion movies really is unfortunate. I remember quite enjoying those.

Wild Cop (Gokiburi deka / ゴキブリ刑事) (1973) Dirty Harry influenced cop film with Tetsuya Watari as a detective who spends most of his time beating, drugging or suffocating suspects. And when he isn't, he's either giving nasty looks to his superiors or visiting a girl whose boyfriend he killed. Gritty and entertaining, but mostly unexceptional. More action and character development wouldn't have hurt; now the film pales in comparison to Kinji Fukasaku's terrific and somewhat similar Yakuza Graveyard (1976), also starring Watari. The finale is quite memorable, though, with Watari literally crashing into the villains' headquarters with a front loader, and the film is never boring.

DVDToho's dvds for both films looks pretty good, although a bit dark at times. No problems with audio as far as I can remember. I already sold the dvds a few months ago, but the extras included at least trailers, photo galleries (posters, stills and images from the screenplays), and complete soundtrack on Wild Cop 2 dvd. Small size (dvd case size) poster re-prints are included inside both cases.

Wild Cop Returns (Za gokiburi / ザ ゴキブリ) (1973) A slightly superior sequel. There's a great scene early on where cop Watari handcuffs a gangster to his patrol car window, throws the poor man on the roof and then rides back to the station as if there was nothing odd going on. It's scenes like this that make both Wild Cop quite fun to watch, but they also suffer from the lack of characterization and action scenes that aren't quite as stylish as you'd wish (although they are entertaining). The film contains a best insult in recent memory, with Watari calling a certain woman "cockroach bitch".

Master Night Manipulator: 1000 Women Killer (Japan, 1971) [TV] Playboy Tatsuo Umemiya is a pimp who tricks and blackmails girls into prostitution, and sleeps with all of them, including one blonde gaijin. It's a rather good looking film, but it's a bit difficult to find a reason to care. It's not a comedy, it's not much of a crime film, and it's so mild with only a little bit nudity that it can barely be balled exploitation. It's just a movie about playboy Umemiya. Colourful visuals are the films biggest - and perhaps only - appeal. Original title: Yoru no teihashi: suke chi hitokiri.

(sorry, I seem to have fucked up my screencaps)

This film was part of the "Night / Yoru" series. I've only seen two of them, but Chris D. write that the series consists of very loosely linked movies where Umemiya plays different kinds of pimps or other such characters. The other movie I've seen is Rogue of the Night (Yoru no narazumono) (1972) and it's even more boring than Master Night Manipulator. Reiko Ike is actually supposed to be in it, but her role must have been really small because I didn't even notice her. Both films, as well as many others in the series, were directed by Makoto Naito. I decided to give up on the "series" after these two films.

There is another series called "King / Teio" that, according to Chris D, is similar.